The Impact of a Stranger
by AlwaysRed Aryssa
Summary: NYPD Officer Amanda Jones finally reached her goal- to become said officer. But when a promotion comes along and she reflects on how she got to be where she was, she musters up the courage to do what she really wanted, even if it wasn't how she expected- to protect the ones she cares about.
1. Chapter 1: An Unbelievably Normal Day

Slam, went an office door.  
Call, went the voice of a human. A woman, to be precise.  
The woman, Amanda, was early in her twenties, soft brown skin and dark red hair, strutted her way down the sidewalk outside, brown eyes piercing down to the street.

"He asked the stupidest question, and apparently I'm supposed to come up with an answer." The woman spoke into the cell phone she was holding. "Something about letters words and a meaning. I don't even /wanna/ guess, knowing him. Despite everything, I'm still only gonna call him Jung. Publicly anyway. But I swear to you, anything that happens to me, I automatically assume he's behind it-"  
Suddenly, a set of feet hit the ground behind her- someone sliding down from a tree. Amanda felt someone's warm breath on her ear as a whisper came.

"Miss me that much... /yeobo/?"

Amanda jumped and dropped her phone, letting out a shriek. That was one phone call that was quite literally dropped. She whipped around to see the person she'd oh-so-ironically been talking about- which she immediately suspected he planned. Still, her heart was racing, her chest rising and falling as it captured and released air. She tried her best to keep her face from heating up.

"Do you just come out of no where?!" She yelled.

"Aniyo, I just happened to be in the area." Jung straightened himself up again- he had to bend over in order to whisper into Amanda's ear. Not too much, though. He rolled his eyes, grinning.

"Oh, don't you try and pull that innocent shit on me! Are ya trying to make me have a heart attack!" She huffed, taking a deep breath. "And what the sam hell makes you think I missed you?" As the words came out, her insides slowly crumbled.

"Of course I'd give you a heart attack, don't I make your heart smile?"  
Oh yeah. That helped, Jung.

Amanda twitched. "Jung... When have you ever seen me smile. And with that, when would I ever smile /inside/?" In a way, what he said made sense. But mainly, it didn't. Even so, Amanda felt that familiar strange feeling in her chest, and even felt a little odd in the stomach. "Have I ever told you how uneasy you make me?"

Jung smiled, rolling his eyes. "Right, right. I see." Jung paused, then snapped his fingers. "Hey, have you met C-Clown's newest back-up dancer? We told him about you; at least, Tk and I did."  
See, Jung's actual name was Barom. Barom Yu. As in the K-Pop Boy Group Lead Singer of C-Clown. He introduced himself to Amanda originally as Jung, as a cover name, from when they first met. When Amanda told him her secret, he told her his, in a way.

"And just what is /that/ supposed to mean?!" Amanda yelled- no surprise. Then him saying the backup dancer part registered. She narrowed her eyes at him. "You told someone about m- /What exactly did you say/?"

"Nothing, nothing." Barom snorted. "Also, I just said who you were and how we met- that's all. Don't you wanna get to know your fellow co-workers?" He stared directly at her.

"You're so full of shit. I-" She stopped, freezing a little. "My fellow /what/?" She enunciated slowly.

Jung- or Barom, ignored her first remark. "Fellow co-worker? Jin's our back-up dancer, and also  
photographer. Great dongsaeng, really. Aren't you a  
Crown? He should be your co-worker since you are  
President of the Crown fanclub-"

Amanda raised up her hands. "Not wait just one frickin' minute. You make it sound like bein' the 'president' of your stupid fanclub is an actual job. I'm a cop now, not a cheerleader. Anymore." She grunted. She never intended to be 'president' or Barom's fanclub, just Barom's biggest supporter. Also not her intention. The fact was, Barom was Amanda's only friend. Only. And Barom considered her a good, 'normal' friend. The group were more like brothers to him, and the other people he knew... Somehow was a little different. Maybe it was just because; Amanda didn't see Barom as anything important. As in; he wasn't famous, he wasn't an 'oppa'. Not someone higher or lower, no one to give special treatment to. Someone on her level, just another human being. Maybe that's why she was considered 'normal'. And his fanclub president.

"Aren't you one of the bodyguards? Like, when we go  
to events? I didn't see you at our concert in Japan. So, I'm guessing your just there for the events right-?"

Amanda stood there, the wheels and cogs turning in her mind. Finally, she put the back of her hand to her forehead, swaying back and forth dizzily. "I think I'm gonna be sick-"

Barom gave a sly smile. "I'm here to catch you, Yeobo."

Amanda shook her head, shaking it off. "You touch me, I swear to god. I'm gonna kill Hien."

Barom blinked. "Ne? What about Hien?"

Hien was an extremely important and big businessman. He wasn't just a businessman- he organized a lot of events and managed some things in a few departments, occasionally. One of those was helping organize the police department, at a very low spot. Seeing as Amanda was just a new officer, he had the ability to decide which position was best suited for her. And apparently, Hien thought it was with Barom.

Amanda shook her head. "Nothing, never mind. Just be careful, heaven forbid the situation should come where I would have to use my taser, but I just might turn it on you, too."

"Ne, may be. Be careful though, you might tase someone else. Meaning, like what if you see me- Who is not actually me?" Barom leaned slightly, grinning a little, because he /knew/.

"Inception shit doesn't work on me. You're not the only person I see in my mind, y'know. I'd be able to tell the difference." She stared.

Barom took out his phone and turned it on, showing Amanda a picture of a man that looked somewhat like Barom with sunglasses. "Hey, what do you think of this picture? A fan took it  
and was all like, 'Ah! Oppa, cool~'!"

Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like a screaming fan to you? You're just Barom. Not some hotshot or idol, just Barom. To me, anyway. Congrats on girls fawning over you."

Barom grinned. "Girls more look up to me rather than fawn over me. Tk says anyway. Anywho, I see. This right here-" He pointed at the picture. "It's not me, Yeobo."

Amanda screamed of embarrassment inside, slapping her hand over her forehead. The corner of her mouth twitched, then she dropped her hand back down. "Well maybe I'd recognize it wasn't you a little easier if  
you wouldn't disappear and shit so much!" She yelled. She might as well have roared at him while she was at it.

"You know why I disappear, Yeobo. Tsk tsk. That's Jin in the photo by the way, the backup dancer."

"Yeah, I know, but-!" Amanda felt a little angry inside for some reason. She usually didn't get legitimately angry with people- annoyed definitely, especially with Barom, but. She rolled her eyes. "And that's great to know. Just great." She huffed and folded her arms- was she pouting?

Barom raised an eyebrow curiously. "What is it?"

Amanda spun herself around so she didn't have to look at him. "It's nothing. I don't-" She stopped herself. If Sun-Hi had been right about one thing, it was that one day she would eventually explode. Amanda didn't want to make it worse for herself or more upset by continuing. She still didn't understand her own feelings, but still. It was time to be honest, as she saw it. She hung her head a little, mumbling. "I get why you have to disappear, but... I miss you when you're gone, okay? There, are you happy I said it?" The corner of her mouth twitched again, but this time- it was from sadness rather than being irritant. "I can take care of myself, and I don't need you around. That's what I say, anyway. But as much as you annoy me at times, I..." She sighed. "You're my friend, and- it makes me miss you sometimes."

The whole time, as per usual and expected, Barom was hiding his phone, recording what she was saying- as he had done several times before. Pocketing it, he grinned and rolled his eyes. "Ne, I know, Yeobo." He stepped closer and pat her head.

"What did I say about-!" Amanda cut herself off. Touch didn't bother her, but. "... Look, I'm sorry that I snap, and am rude, and don't always say what I mean. You've just got this /thing/, and I don't want to go soft!"

Barom grinned a little wider raising his eyebrows. "Is it... The Korean Charisma?" He waved his finger. "I told you to be careful not to fall for me, Yeobo~"

Amanda turned her head and glared. "You're so full of shit. And when you all me that it makes it sound like /you're/ the one who fell." She grunted and started to walk away, Barom following behind, pulling up his hood over his head. Barom always called Amanda 'yeobo', ever since they first met before he even knew her name. Even knowing it, he still calls her that. Which Amanda didn't understand, because 'yeobo' is the Korean term for 'Honey' or 'Darling'.

"What has ten letters, three words, and one sexy meaning?" He asked, smiling way bigger on the inside.

Amanda kept walking, staring straight ahead as not to even look at him. "I loathe you." Nine letters, but close enough.

"Wrong. It's Jung Hee Min."

'I'm gonna frickin' cry', she thought. "Yeah. That's it."

"Aha! So you agree!" He raised his eyebrows, grinning.

Amanda got a gut feeling in her stomach. "... You /didn't/."

Barom's grin never disappeared, pulling out his phone, which had the recording. "You can never take it back now, Yeobo~!"

Amanda stiffened, walking /just/ a tad faster. "I am /so/ done with you, you don't even /KNOW/." Even though they both knew she never could be.

"Fifteen letters, four words, one huge meaning. Don't diss the butt." Okay, he was laughing inside.

"Sixteen letters, four words, one /legitimate/ meaning. Don't. Diss. The badge. And I'll diss it if I want to."

"You'd have to look at it first to diss it!"

She halted and spun around to point at him. "Aha! So you /admit/ I haven't looked! Hah!"

Barom shrugged. "And? That won't stop you from looking one day when I'm dancing or something."

"You can dream about it all you want, but it won't happen." She rolled her eyes, turning back around and making a b-line. Barom still followed behind, raising an eyebrow.

"So you're giving me permission to dream about you staring at my ass?"

Amanda knew he was joking around- well, as far as she knew, so she replied with an honest answer. "/Yes/."

"Does this also mean you're giving me permission to dream about you since, you know, you have this undying love for me. And my butt."

She turned back around for one moment. "Read the sarcasm on my lips. /Yeah, that's totally it/." She spoke her sarcasm slowly, to get the point across about 'reading her lips'. Then she turned back around, not exactly wanting to look at him, and continued onward. There was no specific destination, really she was just taking a walk. Apparently.

Barom sighed. "There will be tough times, yeobo. You're in denial, don't worry. You'll be fine if you just peeked once."

"Excuse me, what is that supposed to mean?! Maybe you're in reverse-denial because you want me to. Ugh."

"You're the one who said I have a great ass. It's okay to be in love with me /and/ my butt, yeobo. I warned you not to fall for me, but I suppose it wasn't enough~."

"Oh my god I'm so done with you you don't even /know/. I'm gonna frickin cry."

As they were walking, Barom saw something a few blocks behind. "Hey, Yeobo- look over there!" He grinned.

What Amanda would turn her head to was to see a Krispy Kreme donut shop in the distant. "You've gotta be kidding me. There is no way I am going with you there."

"Aniyo, don't you remember? That's where we first met!"

"We first met at a Krispy Kreme in Manchester when you cut in front of me in line and I called you a dickhead. Because apparently, for /you/, it was a fucking donut emergency."

"Tsk, tsk. You know, Yeobo, sometime you should-" Barom was cut off by the sound of his cell phone's ringtone- Amanda recognized the voices of Girl's Day. He rolled his eyes, answering. "Hello? Ne, I got it. I'll be right there." He shut his phone and slipped it in his pocket. "Well, Yeobo, it is time for me to go!"

"/Wh/-"

By the time she stopped and turned around to say something, Barom was already running across the street, waving. "See you at the next concert, Yeobo!" And like that, he was gone.  
Amanda rolled her eyes, shoving her hands in her pockets. "What an ass." She proceeded the rest of the way home, alone.

She didn't know what she had gotten herself into.  
And it all started five months ago.


	2. Chapter 2: The Beginning, Part 1

Under no circumstances would she ever be a cheerleader.  
Well, that's what Amanda told herself in middle school. The skirts- or skorts, they made no difference to her- the cheering, and the uniforms, which ties into the skirts. It was a double hit, in her opinion. But now she was in college, only a few more months before she graduated, and she was on the professional cheerleading/cheerleader squad. There was only one reason Amanda would put herself through this, and that reason was all yo herself. She would have to endure it for the next few weeks. Having progressed so far into the year, her squad had finally made it to the international competition. From New York, all the way to Manchester in the UK. And now, she found herself inside a Krispy Kreme, the rest of the girls on her squad all squealing and laughing in front of her as she tapped her foot impatiently.

"I'm just here for free donuts, why can't they just-"

In strutted a Korean man- just around Amanda's age, perhaps a little older, to find himself in absolute heaven.  
Not the girls, no. The donuts.  
Getting in line, he stared at them in thought. 'We will meet soon, my love'. Yeah, this guy was for real.

Amanda tapped her foot a little faster, grimacing. Finally, the girls grabbed the donuts and crowded to another table, leaving Amanda stuck in the dust. Guess who's stuck paying.  
"Are you kidding me? Do I look like an ATM machine-" She growled, aggressively fishing through her purse.

Meanwhile, the man continuously checked his watch, slowly crying inside. "Does it really take that long-? Ugh." s the girls left for the table, instantly cutting in front of the lone cheerleader. "Can I get the usual, please?" He pulled out his wallet like a grumpy butt, paying for two boxes. 'I told you I would get to you, darling'.

Amanda scoffed. "Excuse you, dickhead!" She stared intensely. "So this is what England is like." She mumbled, shoving him to the side and slamming money on the table. "I'm so done here." The Korean simply shrugged and waddled away. Meanwhile, the girls waved over to Amanda, making her mouth quiver. "No please-"  
The cashier stared as if to say; 'Well, fuck'.

The man, whose name has yet to be revealed, simply went to go sit at a table. He had some time before he had to go off to some cheerleading tournament he had to manage. 'God dammit'. He rolled his every. "Why can't they send somebody else..." He murmured.

The girls had managed to pull Amanda over. "Help I'm bEING TOUCHED-" She yelled, to absolutely no one in particular. One of the girl's squealed;  
"Let's have a girl's night afterwards!" Meaning the tournament.  
"Let's not-" Amanda said, rushing into the restroom to get away.

The man froze, scanning the room with his nonexistent spy eyes. He held the boxes with one hand, the other on his phone. Suddenly, he got a phonecall.  
'Cause I'm on fire, yeah, but you keep standing still- I'm burni-' What a wonderful ringtone. He quickly answered. "Yeboseyo?" Screaming was heard over the phone, and he instantly pulled away. 'Oh my god-'. "Ne-! I'm going right now! Ne, the tournament hasn't started yet!" There was a pause, and he sighed. "Aniyo, I'm not going to send you pictures of the cheerleaders. I'm not perverted like you." He said, hanging up.

At this time, Amanda figured that it was safe enough to come out of the bathroom. But by the time she got out, the girls had gone. Left without her.  
"... Are you kidding me-" She twitched, hearing the man say something about pictures of cheerleaders. She scooted to stand a table away- gotta keep distance. 'Stranger danger my ass- Look at this guy!' She cleared her throat. "Excuse me, asshole who cut in front of me-" She rolled her eyes. "Did you say something about /cheerleaders/ and a /tournament/?"

He sighed, before being interrupted, turning to see the girl he had in fact cut in front of. "I'm sorry, I don't speak English." He stood up from his table and threw out one of the empty boxes.  
Amanda glared. "Do I look stupid. You just spoke English. You live in England."  
He turned around. 'Oh my god I'm going to be late-', busily texting on his phone. "Fine. I said cheerleaders and tournament. So what?"  
She rolled her eyes. "You're bringing me with you. Don't question it. I don't know where th'fuck I'm going."

"Mhm, yeah. My car's outside." He strutted back outside. 'Ha, I'm taking some random chick with me.'  
Amanda raised an eyebrow. Well that was easy. He's acceptable. An ass, but acceptable. She shrugged, strutting behind him because that's all she knows. Quite literally, Amanda was the personification of 'attitude'. She wasn't stuck up or snoody, but she had a confident enough stride. Hell, she could be kidnapped by this guy. She could only hope, because- well, cheerleading.

The man, of whom she still did not know the name of, pulled out his car keys out, his car beeping. The brand didn't matter, not the model, all Amanda could think was; 'That's a fancy ass car-'. He held open the passenger door, still texting. 'Weirdo'. She rolled her eyes and slid herself inside, folding her arms.

He closed the door and went to get in on the other side, starting the car. Amanda was greeted with the blasting of K-Pop. '/What the hell am I listening to?!/. The man opened his glove compartment and put on a pair of sunglasses, then driving away.  
Amanda leaned her elbow on the side of the door. "At least you aren't texting while driving." 'Why am I talking-' She rolled her eyes at him.

The man grinned and rolled his eyes, taking out his phone, and texting while driving. /Hah/.  
Amanda stared at him, blankly, almost burning holes. "You. Little. Shit."  
"Bwoh? Are you scared that I might swerve?" He put his phone back down, eyes on the road.  
"DO IT, AND I WILL BE-HAND YOU THE MOMENT WE STEP OUT OF THIS CAR!"  
"Don't worry, yeobo~" He turned his and winked at her. "I'm a professional." Still paying attention to the road.  
Amanda's eye twitched at the wink. "There's something in your eye, perhaps you shouldn't be driving." She said smoothly, turning her head away. "What language are you even /speaking/."  
He simply ignored her, laughing inside. Mr. Simple by Super Junior began playing. The man grinned, turning it up louder and singing along.  
Amanda groaned loudly, slumping in her seat. "Somebody kill me before he does."  
Once again, the man's phone rang. He turned off the radio and answered, silent a moment, nodding a little. He grinned. "Ne." Then hung up, blasting Hip Hop music. "Work hard, play hard-"  
Amanda huffed. "Oh this is just great. Why are you headed to the tournament anyway? AndWhyAmITalkingToYou."  
'Oh, she's talking-'. "Normally, one would think for the women. But, I'm headed there because the tournament is held by my father's company." He said, turning around a corner, swerving /just/ a little to toy with her.  
She immediately held the support handle, which was somewhat ridiculous because you could barely feel it. "Yeah, a lot of people-" And then the realization set in. "Wait. Your /father/."  
He nodded. "Ne. I have to go to represent, since I'm next in line for the throne. And by 'throne', I mean comfortable desk chairs."

"Okay, screw that. /You're the spawn of what did this to me/." Amanda rolled her eyes, huffing.  
"So, I'm an egg from an aquatic sea animal." He drove into the parking lot- more specifically, the VIP section. "... Sweet." He parked, shutting off the car and stepping out. He roamed around, searching for a nice spot.  
"Hmph. You might as well be." She followed behind him, as not to get lost in the crowd. Her squad wasn't up until later, the living barbie dolls could wait.  
"Can I be a platypus? Dolphin? Turtle? Whale? Sea lion? Seal? Shark? Octopus?" Raising an eyebrow to himself, wondering why she was still following him.  
"You can be the rare and nearly extinct species of Aquatic Underwater Ass." It's not like she /knew/ anyone else, and she was not going back to the girls.  
"Asses are great, if I do say so myself."  
Amanda rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and you have a great ass." She said, her voice heavy with sarcasm.  
"Thank you, Yeobo~. I now know I have a great ass." He aimed double pistols at her and a wink. Little did she realize he had hit 'record' on his phone ever since she called him a 'spawn'.  
"I- /What/- Are you /serious/?!" If she stared any harder, the whole arena could've heard it.  
"Of course." He said, staring seriously back. "Can't take it back now."  
"You don't know if I even /looked/. Why would I /what/ I don't even know your name." The words slipped out of her mouth as they first came to mind; jumbled.  
"My name? You can just call me Oppa. Ne, that will work."  
"What. What kind of name is that. /What/ does that even mean." Her arms had still been folded up until this point, where they now dropped to being firmly placed on her hips.  
"Geez, can't blame me for having a strange name."  
"I am /not/ calling you that. It's an awful name, you should change it. It makes you sound like you have a 'Big Daddy' complex." She said loosely, not a drop of shame in her.  
He burst out laughing. Loudly, at that. That was just too good. "Fine, call me by my actual name, then. I'm Jung, and you are-?" He continued laughing, because that was literally the best thing he had ever heard.  
"You're such a horrible liar, I knew it. Th'name's Amanda. Call me anything but Mandy."

And that, was where it all began.


End file.
